NY Times Opinion:

The peaceful inauguration this month of Haiti’s new president, Michel Martelly, should give Haitians cause for pride and cautious hope that their country can move beyond mere survival and start rebuilding.

Mr. Martelly, a former pop star, ran a serious campaign. When he put on the presidential sash on the grounds of the still ruined presidential palace, he vowed to remake his country: promising to provide free education, and battle crime and corruption, and end the humiliation of being the hemisphere’s charity case.

There is, of course, a very long way to go. Well over half-a-million Haitians are still without homes, many living in camps where disease and violence are unchecked. Mountains of rubble remain. The cholera epidemic continues and will only spike as the rains get worse. Great projects, like a textile factory in a giant industrial park, have not moved much beyond press releases.

The untested Mr. Martelly will have to show adroitness, not bluster. He will need to work with a Parliament dominated by members of former President René Préval’s Unity Party. And rally international donors whose patience has flagged and attention has shifted elsewhere. He will need to deliver tangible improvements, not just promises, to his people.

Mr. Martelly will need to do what Mr. Préval refused to: make difficult decisions, even if they displease entrenched elites or cronies. One reason so few houses have been built is Mr. Préval’s refusal to use the power of the presidency to resolve disputes over land ownership.

The new president will need to push Parliament to streamline regulations that stymie business development and jobs, and overhaul the failing criminal justice and judiciary systems. He will have to push Haiti’s partners to hire and train Haitians, to build the capacity of government ministries and civil society.

The United Nations, the United States and other international donors will need to work closely with Mr. Martelly. Too much time has already been wasted.